Chris Eubank Jr.

We meet in Dubai, the city he now calls home. Set high above the skyline at the One&Only One Za’abeel—its shimmering architecture symbolic of reinvention—it’s a setting befitting a man preparing for the defining chapter of his career. Here, for Sports World, Eubank Jr. speaks with measured intensity. Calm, focused, razor-sharp.

On April 26, under the lights of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he will walk out to 70,000 people for the biggest fight of his career—a fight that is more than just personal, more than just another headline event. This is history revisited, but not relived. This time, it is Eubank’s name, his future, and his path that is on the line.

For all the inevitable talk about fathers and family rivalries, Eubank Jr. is clear: this fight is about him. “Seeing things like the original program from Judgment Day 1993 only inspires me,” he says. “It reinforces the importance of what I have to do—uphold my family name, solidify the Eubank legacy, and make sure our name stays above Benn’s in the fight game.” But while history looms large, his focus is squarely on the present. “Conor is trying to redeem his father’s loss to mine. I can’t let that happen.”

Preparation has been meticulous, and training intensity steadily increased as fight night approaches. “Everything’s on track,” he says. “There’s a process, a schedule you have to stick to week by week. The intensity ramps up, and the volume of training increases. Right now, we’re just getting into the training camp. My weight is good, my energy levels are good. I’ll be ready to go.” He knows what’s at stake and is pushing himself that extra bit harder.

“This is the most important moment of my career. There will be no stone unturned.”

While the event’s magnitude is undeniable, Eubank Jr. refuses to be caught up in the noise. “I don’t look at it as a big stage or a huge occasion because then you can get caught up in the hype, in things that aren’t important,” he says. “What matters is that you go out there and do your job.” It’s an approach shaped by experience, one he believes gives him an edge. “I have experience in this game, and that gives me a big edge over Conor. He hasn’t been in this position before—this is his first time headlining a fight of this magnitude. I think that’s going to show.”

Boxing has moulded Eubank Jr. not just as a fighter, but as a man. “I’m not emotional, and I think the sport has made me that way,” he admits. “I wouldn’t say I’m unfriendly, but I’m comfortable being alone. I don’t have an entourage, I keep my circle small.” His independence is a defining characteristic, extending beyond the ring. “Boxing is a business, and you need people looking out for your best interests. It’s ruthless, inside and outside the ring. Everyone is trying to make a quick buck off you. You have to trust your team, know what a good deal is, how to read a contract, and have the right legal and financial support.”

Despite the possibility of a rematch, Eubank Jr. refuses to look beyond April 26. “I don’t think about what’s next,” he says. “That’s a mistake fighters make—looking beyond what’s in front of them. I never do that.” For him, all roads lead to one night, one fight, and one undeniable statement.

“This is the biggest fight of my career. I have a duty to the sport, to my father, and to myself to go out there and destroy this kid.”

There’s something deeply personal about the way Eubank Jr. speaks—not in the overly emotive sense, but in the way every sentence feels weighed, considered, and delivered with intent. He is, above all, a professional. He has crafted his identity not just in defiance of his surname, but through years of relentless self-discipline and an uncompromising will to be judged on his own terms.

Over the past decade, that journey has been anything but linear. His career has oscillated between explosive highs and humbling lows. He’s been hyped, doubted, written off, and then reborn. Losses to George Groves and Billy Joe Saunders stung, but they also exposed flaws that he has since worked to refine. In more recent outings—especially his dominant rematch victory over Liam Smith—he’s shown evolution. Not just in output, but in IQ. In his ability to control the tempo, pace the rounds, and conserve the kind of energy that once saw him criticised for his reckless abandon.

He’s no longer the raw, wild volume-puncher that split opinion. He’s more dangerous now because he’s smarter and perhaps that’s what makes this moment feel so pivotal. At 35, Eubank Jr. knows he is no longer the young disruptor. He’s the established name. The headliner. The figure with everything to lose. But rather than flinch at that reality, he’s leaned into it. He talks of legacy not as a burden but as a responsibility—one he has chosen to carry.

“Every time I fight, people are reminded of who I am and what I represent,” he says.

“It’s not pressure. It’s purpose.”

And while April 26 may be promoted as a continuation of a famous family feud, the man stepping into that ring isn’t fighting for a throwback storyline.

He’s fighting to finish his own.